A Faction of Family
by DivergentLunarShadowhunter
Summary: Hey guys, so this is my first ever fanfiction, so please review but be nice please :). This was a oneshot with Tris and Tobias and their two daughters, but I decided to make it into a short series of connected stories instead. So, hope you like it, please read and review! :)
1. Chapter 1-Dating in Dauntless

Tobias POV

"Oh. My. God. Mom!", my 14-year-old daughter Ashlynn practically yelled as she ran into the apartment. "Oh my god mom, guess what!?".

"What, honey?" Tris said, looking up from the documents she was organizing. Ashlynn flopped down on the couch next to her. I was currently seated on Tris's other side. Ashlynn had just returned from school after being walked home by her friend, Hannah, who lived down the hall and was the fifteen-year-old daughter of Uriah and Marlene Pedrad.

"So, you know that boy I've been talking about, Alex? Well, we were just in class, and we got assigned together on a project, and now I get to go over to his apartment to work with him! He is SO cute!", she sighed smiled.

"That's awesome, sweetie!", she said.

But I, on the other hand, had other ideas. I stared at my wife (my beautiful, wonderful wife) like she was crazy.

"What?! You are not letting our little girl go anywhere with a kid like him! We don't know anything about him. We don't know where he lives, who his parents are... Does he have a tattoo, piercings, anything? You are way too young for this, Ashlynn. You're 14, for goodness sake! Can't you ask to be put with someone else? Maddy Pedrad? Nicole, Sarah, Grace? At least we know their parents!" By this time I was pacing the living room, gesturing with my hands. Tris sighed and chuckled.

"Calm down, honey. He's just a boy. They're just working on a school project together. And Ashlynn is allowed to have a crush, it's perfectly normal for her age."

"Yeah, come on, dad. I'm not dating him or anything. And FYI, he doesn't have any tattoos or piercings. We might be in Dauntless, but that doesn't mean we get tattoos when we're fourteen! Alex is nice, and smart, and cool. And we do know his parents, remember? Lauren and Harrison's son?" Ashlynn added.

Now she was started to get frustrated, too, because she was now standing up and staring defiantly up at me. Obviously, though, I haven't lost my 'Scary Four' face, more recently my 'Scary Daddy' face, and it didn't help that she had gotten her mothers gene of being short. Her 5'4" height was no match for my tall and muscular stature. I stared at her, and she stared back.

Unfortunately for me, I was distracted when I heard laughter coming from the couch. We both looked at Tris, who had been watching her brave little girl standing up to her father. I looked back at Ashlynn at the same time as she did, and suddenly we were all laughing uncontrollably. When we had all calmed down, I grabbed Ashlynn's arm and looked her straight in the eye.

"All right, fine. You can work with this Alex. But just be careful. You know what we talked about, and I know you know how to defend yourself. I'm not saying that he's a bad person, I'm just saying I want you to be safe, okay? And no kissing" I add, and she slaps my arm playfully; but for perhaps the first time, I see a seriousness that lets me know that she will be fine and is perfectly capable of defending herself. I pull her in for a hug.

"I love you" I whisper into her ear.

"I love you too, dad" she replies. We pull apart to see Tris smiling with tears in her eyes.

"All right, if we're all done here, someone needs to do their homework." Tris says, and Ashlynn groans, but we all smile. As she grabs her backpack off of the floor and heads upstairs to her room, I sit on the couch and Tris leans on my shoulder. "I think someone's all grown up here" Tris murmurs.

"I just can't believe she's fourteen already. Our little baby's going on a date. Our little miracle…" Tris chuckles again and I look over at her beautiful, ageless face, even after fifteen years of our marriage. "What?"

"I was talking about you, silly." She pokes me in the stomach for effect, and I laugh. "Being all protective. Almost as protective as you were of me. You know she can take care of herself just like I can. I'm glad I didn't have to tell you that. And by the way" she adds, "she told me that she liked Alex last year. I knew something would happen eventually."

I pull back and stare at her, surprised.

"You knew?"

"Yup." Tris smiles and shrugs. "It's a girl thing, to talk about boys when they're not around." I pretend to be offended.

"You talk about me when I'm not around?"

"Of course. That's what we do. I'm sure you've talked to Zeke before about me."

"Well, Zeke is different", I try, but she rolls her eyes. I lean down and kiss her lightly, but then Tris groans and pulls back.

"I have to go pick Kayla up from elementary school."

I sigh, but stand up, helping Tris up too. I nod at the forgotten papers on the side table next to her.

"You want me to finish that?"

Tris looks at me gratefully and nods.

"Could you?"

"Of course. Anything for you." I kiss her forehead and she grabs her bag before heading out to pick up our second little miracle. I smile and sit down on the couch to finish organizing Dauntless work portfolios. Not the most exciting job in the world most of the time, but being a leader of Dauntless does have its perks. And with my soulmate by my side everyday to brighten my day, life has never been better.


	2. Chapter 2- Bullies and Bravery

Dating in Dauntless- Chapter 2-

-Bullies and Bravery

 **A/N: Thanks so much guys! 146 views! I never expected this many people to want to read my story. Please review and tell me what you think! Also, if you liked my story, look up my sister's story. Her username is DivergentElephantLover, and she posted a story called More Than Friends. It's about Marlene and Uriah's relationship. Check it out!**

Tris POV  
"Mommy!" Kayla exclaims as I walk into the cafeteria. She runs over and I scoop her up into my arms.  
"Hey sweetie, how was school?"  
Surprisingly, my 8-year-old daughter's grin drops off of her face.  
"I-I don't really wanna talk about it." I frown.  
"What? What's wrong, honey?" I can tell that she is upset about something, but I know that we shouldn't talk about it in the cafeteria of the elementary school.  
"Um…nothing" she says, averting her gaze.  
"Why don't we talk about it at home?" I suggest, and she nods. I put her down, and she holds my hand as we walk back to the apartment.  
When we get home, I plop down on the couch and pat the cushion next to me. "Come here, honey" I say, and she hesitantly sits down. "Now, don't try to pretend. I know something's wrong, I just want to know what it is. If I know, then I can help you" I say gently. She opens her mouth, but then closes it and looks down. Finally, without looking up, she says,  
"Well…there's…there's a boy in my class. And today he told me that he thought I should switch to Abnegation because I would never survive in Dauntless."  
"What?" I was shocked. This is another 8 year old boy in her elementary school! Why would he say anything like that to my child?  
"What-what's his name, Kayla?" I ask, still shocked.  
"Robbie. He-he says that because you and dad are transfers and not Dauntless-born, I'm not…'pure' Dauntless. He says that the other factions are weak and that I'll die or become factionless if I stay." She looks up at me with tears in her eyes."Is-is that true, mommy? Am I not strong enough for Dauntless?"  
What? What did she just say? Did she literally just ask me if she belonged in her faction? What else has that boy been telling her?  
I grab my daughters' shoulders and make her look me in the eye. "Mikayla. Natalie. Eaton. Don't you ever think for one moment that you don't belong here. You were born here. And your mother and father might have been transfers from Abnegation, but we passed initiation and are now officially part of Dauntless. And you know what? Both me and your father ranked first in our class. We ranked better than every other transfer and Dauntless-born. So tell this Robbie that he'd better shut his mouth. Because you, Kayla, are Dauntless. You are brave. You will stand up to this kid. Even if he's bigger or stronger than you, he is no older than you. Tell Robbie that the parents he's talking about are two of the leaders of Dauntless. Ok? Will you do that for me? Will you be Dauntless and prove to this kid that you are a true member of Dauntless?"  
Now she is looking at me with wide eyes, not knowing where all of my ferocity is coming from. Frankly, I don't really know either. All I know is that I never want my child to get hurt. Ever. I will protect her until the day that I die.  
No, Wait. She just needs me to teach her how to stand up for herself. I need to know that she can take care of herself. Because I won't always be there for her. I sigh and wrap my arms around my daughter. "Please? Will you do this for me? For yourself?" I plead, my voice muffled by her shirt. I feel her nod.  
"Okay, mommy. I will."  
"Good." I sigh again and pull back. "Life in Dauntless can get pretty rough. I just want you to be prepared."  
"I know, mom." And I know that she does.  
"I love you, baby" I say, and kiss her forehead.  
"I love you too."  
"And I love both of you, but would somebody mind telling me what the heck is going on here?"  
Tobias walks in, spotting me and a teary-eyed Mikayla sitting together on the couch.  
"Oh, come on, Tobias. We were having a mother-daughter moment here." I laugh. Kayla grins too, and wipes away her tears.  
"I go upstairs for five minutes to take a shower, and I come down to find this? What did I miss?"  
"Nothing, honey." I say, and give him a look that says, 'I'll tell you later'. Tobias seems to understand, because he just nods and rubs his hands together.  
"Well, then. I was thinking about eating some of that delicious chocolate cake that mommy made earlier."  
"Oh, no, mister. No dessert until after dinner." I say, and stand up. I help Kayla up, too. "Speaking of dinner, I was thinking spaghetti. Wanna help me?" I add, addressing her. She smiles.  
"Sure!"  
"Ok then. Why don't you go into the kitchen and get the pasta and sauce out?" I say, and she runs into the kitchen. I turn to Tobias as he pulls me close. "Did you finish the portfolios?" I ask. He nods. "Good. So we have all night to spend as a family." I say. "Let's make the most of it". He smiles.  
"Yeah, let's do it. They're only kids once, right?"  
I smile too and kiss him lightly.  
"Right." I hear Kayla opening the cupboards in the kitchen. "Let's go help with dinner." I suggest, and we walk into the room to help our daughter, who is in the process of climbing up onto the counter to reach the box of spaghetti. I gasp and then laugh as Tobias grabs her and lifts her, giggling, so she can grab the box off of the shelf. The three of us fool around in the kitchen, but manage to make dinner at the same time. Ashlynn comes downstairs as Kayla is setting the table and Tobias and I are dishing up the meal.  
"Thought I smelled pasta" she says as she helps us get ready. As we sit down at the table, I say;  
"Before we eat, I just want to say some things. Today, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves. Just remember that we are a family and we will always be there for each other. Okay?"  
Kayla and Ashlynn both nod.  
"All right then, that's my speech for tonight, now dig in" I say, and we all laugh and start eating. But I meet Tobias's eye and he smiles. Kids might be hard, but as a family, there's nothing that we can't do.

 **A/N: All right! What did you guys think? As good as chapter 1? I am not entirely sure how many chapters I will do, so if anybody wants to request a prompt for a future chapter, feel free to PM me (CloakSeeker: I am writing your request now, but it will be a separate story). Please read and review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3-Surprise?

A Faction of Family chapter 3

Ashlynn POV

 **Quick A/N: I know this chapter isn't that long, but it ended up being a cliffhanger and I felt like it had to be a separate chapter. So this is really just a filler until the next chapter is finished, bc I know I haven't updated this story in forever. Has a little bit of sister bonding time and a surprise…can you guess what it is? It's not hard, trust me :)**

 **Okay, on to the story!**

After we finish dinner, and Kayla and I help clean up, I announce that I have to make a phone call. Mom asks about my homework, and after I assure her that it's done, which it is (mostly), she lets me go. I go up the stairs and into my room. I pick up my phone to call Grace Kenley, the daughter of Christina and Will.

 **(Another A/N, sorry! I'm really disappointed that neither Will or Christina have a last name created by Veronica Roth. So I made up a random one. I literally just went onto a random-last-name-generator-website-thingy. If you don't like it I can change it, but I need suggestions please! Now you may continue reading…)**

"Hey, Ash! What's up?" A cheerful voice answers on the second ring. I roll my eyes. _Of course_. She's usually on social media, posting or whatever. Basically, her phone never leaves her side.

"Oh, nothin' much" I reply casually. "Except for the fact that I get to work on the project with, drum roll please…"

"Omg who? Mason? Jackson? Lewis? Who?! Please just tell me!" She squeals, then gasps.

"Oh. My. God. You did _not_ get paired with Alex."

I chuckle.

"You know me so well, Grace!" I tease.

"You did get him? Omg that's awesome!" She exclaims. "Maybe he'll ask you out…" she adds suggestively, and I giggle.

"No! I mean, why would he? He doesn't really know me that well, and a lot of other girls like him."

"Well, a girl can dream, right?"

"Definitely." We both laugh. "Anyway, what did you get on the math homework? I got like halfway through it and-"

"OMG I know right! Like how am I supposed to know this stuff?" I sigh.

When I am finished chatting with Grace, we finally hang up, with Grace giving me some lame excuse to leave, surprisingly. Usually I end up saying goodbye and basically hanging up on her. I don't like to do it, but that girl can just talk, and talk, and talk…sure enough, I glance at the clock and discover that almost an hour has passed. I sigh and get off of my bed. I stretch and open my door. _It's probably time to devour that delicious Dauntless cake_ , I think to myself, licking my lips. I walk out into the hallway, only to be stopped by an uncomfortable-looking Mikayla.

"Oh! Hi! Um, you, uh…can't go downstairs right now" she stammers. When I ask why, she shrugs.

"Mommy said not to let you come downstairs yet."

"Did she say when I could come down?" I ask, and Kayla looks down the hallway.

"Be right back" she says, before running down the hallway. She stops halfway and turns around. "Stay there!"

"I will" I smile.

"Promise?"

"Promise." Kayla smiles too and runs to the top of the stairs.

"Mommy" she yells. "Can Ashlynn come down yet?" I hear mom coming over, but that's all I can hear from where I stand in my doorway. But I keep my promise and stay where I am.

"Not yet, honey. Tell her…five minutes. Wait five more minutes and then you can bring her down" mom says, and Kayla nods. She runs back to me and says:

"Mommy says five more minutes." I nod and close my door. Immediately after I do, Kayla knocks. "Can I come wait with you?" She says, and I open the door.

"Sure, sis." She smiles and races into my room, where she leaps onto my bed. I sit down on the end and Mikayla lays down next to me. We start to talk, and she tells me about Robbie. I get mad and say that I want to beat up this little piece of…crap. But she pouts and says:

"But mommy said that _I_ could." I can't help but laugh. We keep talking about it until my clock says that five minutes have passed. When I mention it to her, Kayla jumps up and grabs my hand. She pulls me up and out of the room into the hallway. She runs down the stairs and I follow her, more slowly. For some reason the living room is dark. Just as that thought sinks in, the lights come on again to reveal…


	4. Chapter 4-Truly A Dauntless Day

Chapter 4- The Party!

 **I…have no real excuse for not updating. Sorry for the wait, enjoy!**

Ashlynn POV

Chapter 5

"SURPRISE!"

Oh my god! Everyone's here! Mom and dad are in front of me, and Kayla runs to join them. Christina and Will are here with Grace, which explains why Grace was acting so weird earlier. Uriah and Marlene are here with Maddy and Hannah, and most of my other friends are here too: Nicole, Sarah, Danielle, Amanda, even-OMG. That's Lauren next to Tori, Amanda's mom. If Lauren is here, does that mean…?

"Happy birthday, honey!" Mom says, and I smile.

"Thanks so much mom! But you know my birthday's not until next week!" She laughs.

"I know, honey, but we can't have it on your actual birthday, otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise!" She gestures to the guests. "Come join us, birthday girl!" She says to me, and I smile. Suddenly, music starts blasting through speakers that I hadn't noticed when I first came in. The Dauntless members soon start dancing and mingling, and I approach my friends.

"Happy birthday, Ash!" They all say.

"Thanks for coming, guys!" I smile and turn to look at Grace. "And just saying, you are awful at lying!" She grins and shrugs.

"Must have gotten it from my mom." We laugh. We chat and eat snacks, and eventually we approach the living-room-turned-dance floor, where some of the adults are already dancing. Among them are Zeke and Uriah (obviously) with their wives Shauna and Marlene, and Tori and Lauren. I hang back and whisper to Grace.

"Do you think he's here?" I point at Lauren. She looks confused, but then she realizes who I'm talking about and gasps.

"Yeah I hope so!" She says, and we continue to the dance floor, even though both me and her are now glancing around looking for him.

As soon as I start dancing, everything disappears except for the flashing lights and the people next to me. I feel like I could stay here forever, dancing to the beat. I guess you could say that I like to dance…I'm so absorbed in the music that I don't notice when a person approaches me, weaving through the throng of people to reach me. I don't react until the song ends and I stop and rest. I'm about to go get something to drink when I notice him.

"Oh! Um, hi Alex" I stammer, blushing. Not a good start to a conversation, is it…

"Uh, happy birthday, Ashlynn" he says.

"Thanks" I reply. We stand there in awkward silence for a while.

"So…" we finally say at the same time. I giggle and Alex smiles slightly.

"Would, uh…would you like to come over tomorrow?" He says slowly. "To work on the project, I mean." He adds hastily, his face turning red.

"Uh, yeah, sure" I reply.

"Okay, cool. I'm in apartment 12."

"Okay. I'll tell my parents later." Alex opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. Finally, he looks down and mumbles something I can just barely hear.

"You…you're a good dancer." I feel like I'm going to faint. Did he really just say that?!

"…Thanks" I reply shyly, blushing at the compliment. Before either of us can say anything else, the music stops and Uriah yells,

"CAKE TIME!" We all cheer as Mom, Dad, _and_ Kayla each bring a Dauntless chocolate cake in from the kitchen. Mom's has candles on it, and she beckons to me after she places it on the table. I hurry over as Dad and Kayla also put their cakes on the table.

"Happy birthday, honey" Dad smiles. "Make a wish." I look around at my family and friends and smile. I have everything that I need already. And even though I will have to make a possibly life-changing decision in only two years, I know that-for now- I am happy here.

I lean forward and blow out the candles. _I wish…I wish for my family to be happy. Even if I have to leave them._ Everyone cheers and claps. Mom hands me a knife, and I cut the cake. Then dad takes it from me and cuts a big piece. A _very_ big piece.

"Dad!" I exclaim with a laugh. He dramatically puts it on a plate and hands it to me.

"For the birthday girl." I shake my head with a grin.

"Thanks" I reply. He turns and starts helping mom cut the rest of the delicious cake.

I walk over and sit on the couch. I signal Grace after she gets her cake. She soon joins me and I immediately start talking.

"I saw him."

"Omg you did?! Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah." I say and she squeals.

"You did?! What did he say?" I put a piece of cake in my mouth and chew it slowly. She jumps up and down in her seat. "Stop it! Tell me! What did he say?" I swallow and decide to stop teasing her.

"He asked if I wanted to come over to work on the project tomorrow." Grace freezes and stares at me. "What?" I say, trying not to laugh, as her forkful of cake is halfway to her mouth.

"He _so_ asked you out!" She says seriously, starting to grin.

"He did not!" I reply. Remembering something else, I blush. "He said I was a good dancer, too" I add in a whisper. She stares open-mouthed at me, cake completely forgotten.

"He _did_?! He totally likes you" she states matter-of-factly. I shrug.

"I don't know…" I trail off as I see him sitting at a table with his friends, laughing. _Maybe he does,_ I think to myself. _Or maybe he doesn't._ And now that I think about it, I don't really mind. I'm probably too young for a boyfriend anyway. _But I can still have a crush_ , my brain thinks.

"Actually, I'd like to be friends for now" I say, to Grace's surprise.

"What do you mean?!" She shrieks. I quiet her down before people notice.

"Shh! Be quiet! I'd just like to get to know him better, before I think about…dating or anything." I stutter. She raises her eyebrows but nods in agreement.

"Present time!" Uriah yells. I jump up and run over to the pile of gifts.

"Oh my gosh! There's so many! Which one first?" Mom hands me a wrapped box and says it's from her. I tear through the paper and find…


	5. Chapter 5-Full of Surprises…

**Chapter 5**

 **Ahhh I haven't been on this story forever, I know, but I am on a noble quest to finish all of my stories, oldest to newest. So here we are! My first ever (published) fanfic. At this point I have joined Archiveofourown, because my school laptop blocks ff. net (because of** _ **forums**_ **!?). I'm not exactly sure if I will put all of my stories on there, but I assure you that everything I write will be posted here.**

 **That does not mean that I will simply conclude all of the stories I started in one chapter. For this one, probably, but for others I will actually continue and finish it without rushing (hopefully).**

 **Sooooo, anyways, it is difficult to continue this, because in my opinion I am a much better writer now than I was then, but I will try. Maybe sometime I will come back and rewrite it? Yeah, no. I am a diehard procrastinator, thank you very much.**

 **So here goes! I couldn't choose a POV, so it is Tobias at first but then Ashlynn. Hope it's not too confusing! Also I hate reading stories where people just list the presents that the person got, so sorry, I am not going to do that.**

I smile as I watch Ashlynn open her presents, wrapping an arm around Tris. I look at her and she's smiling too. Our daughter opens present after present, from friends, family, and other members of Dauntless. Finally she finishes, thanking all of us for the gifts. She runs up to me and Tris and hugs both of us, whispering, "I liked yours the best."

I laugh and squeeze her tightly. Tris breaks the group hug and runs over to the side of the room. She returns with another bag, which she shields from us.

"One more present," she says with a sly smile. "For the whole family." Pulling out four wrapped packages, she distributes three to me and the two girls.

* * *

 **Ashlynn POV now...**

We look down and open them at the same time. Kayla tears through the paper first, but when she pulls out a black t-shirt, she looks confused. I finally break the tape on mine, and pull out another t-shirt.

Kayla shrieks and turns her shirt around to show the group. " _ **Six months, Four kids"**_ it reads, with a blurry photo of…

Oh.

 _Oh my God._

I rip the shirt out of the paper and look at the front. It's identical to my sister's.

No. Freaking. Way.

Everyone screams and I drop the shirt, turn to Kayla, and hug her. Then I bring her to find my way to Mom, who is in the middle of making out with Dad.

"Ew, gross!" Kayla shrieks, and they break apart with a laugh. I giggle when I see Dad's shirt, which he is already wearing. It's just like ours, but with one extra line of text: " _ **Four, Future Father of Four."**_ He must have come up with that himself. I pull my shirt on too, examining the front again.

"How did you not tell us!" I say, grinning. Dad shrugs. "Mom's having _twins_ and you didn't tell us?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise!" I punch him playfully, then hug him. I yell as a crowd of Dauntless join in, slapping Dad on the back and yelling their congratulations.

Uriah finally slows down the chaos when he and Zeke yell, "Zipline time!" The other adults of Dauntless pour out of the apartment and thunder down the stairs with a cheer.

"Mom! Dad! Can I go? Please?" I beg them. Mom looks at Dad and they have a silent communication. Finally, Mom nods.

"Kayla, honey, you're a little too young to go, I'm sorry. You can stay here with us." She turns to me. "Be careful, Ashlynn. But have fun." She smiles and I hug both of them before racing out the door to catch up with the others.

I find Grace soon and catch up with her, but we save our breath and keep running. When the Hancock building comes into view, my heart starts to beat faster in anticipation. We run and run, into the building, up the stairs, onto the roof.

I've never been ziplining before, but I've heard plenty of stories. I can't believe Mom let me go, honestly. Guess it _is_ my birthday, after all. I finally start talking to Grace, who squeals and squeezes me hard.

"Twins! I can't believe it!"

"I know, me neither! I can't believe they never told us!"

"I wonder what genders they'll be…" We both stare at my shirt, but the blurry ultrasound photo and dim lighting makes it almost impossible to see anything. I shrug and turn back to the zipline. There's actually two-they must have added one to make it faster.

"Wanna ride with me?" Grace nods frantically, then looks around.

"Where are your parents?" I shrug.

"I dunno. Guess they stayed to look after Kayla." We drop the subject and talk about what we think the twins will look like. Will they be two girls, two boys, one of each? What color will their hair be? Dark blonde, like Mom and Kayla? Or brown, like me and Dad? Will they have gray eyes, like Mom and me, or blue eyes like Kayla and Dad? Will they be tall like Dad or short like Mom? Will they stay in Dauntless or transfer? Will they stick together if they transfer?

Finally, we reach the front of the line, and climb into the harnesses. I share a quick glance with Grace before we go. I hear a scream, but I can't tell if it was me or Grace who made it. I think it was Grace, because I don't think I have the ability to speak right now. I cling to the fabric as I zoom down the cable.

When I look over to my left, Grace is laughing soundlessly, her arms flung out to the sides. I copy her, and it feels like I'm flying.

It's over too soon. I pull the brake on time and fumble with the straps until I roll out of the harness with a yelp. I hit arms, intertwined below me. They put me down, and I stumble forward. The adrenaline rush has left me trembling, but not out of fear. I'm grinning from ear to ear, even as I trip on someone's foot and lose my balance.

A hand grabs my arm and steadies me, and I look up through several layers of hair that have fallen over my face. It's a boy.

 _Oh, crap._ It's Alex. I jump up, quickly, and push my hair back over my head messily. I smile at him, embarrassed.

"Hi."

"Hey, Ashlynn. Are you okay?"

What? Yeah-Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Just adrenaline, you know?" He nods and smiles. I hear a shout and we both turn to see Lauren motioning for Alex to come over.

"Sorry, uh, I gotta go. Um, happy birthday, Ashlynn." He blushes and runs over to Lauren. Grace sidles up to my side and grabs my hand. I look over at her.

"Stop it!" I punch her on the shoulder. "Don't look at me like that! I tripped, ok?"

"And he caught you? Aww, I wish I'd seen it." We laugh and start to walk back towards the compound.

"Don't tease me about Alex unless you want me to tease you about… _Lucas_." She shushes me, looking around.

"Don't!" she warns, and I nod.

"I know." I roll my eyes. "I was just kidding, you know that." She nods too, and challenges me to a race back to Dauntless. I agree, and we both break into a sprint, causing the other members to join in. Will and Christina pass us, and we try to run faster. Will turns around and teases Grace, then trips and stumbles, trying to regain his balance. We laugh at him as Chris takes his arm and helps him.

When we reach the compound, we run inside and say our goodbyes. I walk with Grace and her family to my apartment, then go inside as they continue down the hall. Grace mouths " _Text me_ " before she walks around the corner and disappears from view.

When I enter the living room, I smile as I see Mom, Dad and Kayla asleep on the couches. I pull a blanket over Kayla, and Dad stirs.

"Did you have fun?" he mumbles, sleepy. I say yes and he stands up, stretching. Before I can put a blanket on Mom, he slips his arms around her and lifts her effortlessly. As he takes her upstairs and puts her in bed, I wake up Kayla and help her to her room.

As I leave Kayla's room and head towards mine, Dad exits the bedroom and hugs me in the dark hallway.

"Goodnight, Ashlynn. Happy birthday." I smile and hold him tight. He ruffles my hair and heads into the bathroom, and I go into my room.

I text with Grace for a little while, but then I tell her I'm going to bed, and put my phone away. I turn onto my back and stare at the ceiling, thinking.

 _Twins._ I'm going to have two more younger siblings in six months. I sigh, shaking my head. _Wow._

 _I'm probably going to be sharing a room with Mikayla,_ I think idly, growing tired. _And what if I leave Dauntless next year? They probably won't even remember me…_

 _Well, guess I'll think about that some other time. I am fifteen, I have a Choosing Ceremony next year which will decide my fate. But for now, I am still a part of Dauntless, and I will be a good older sister no matter what happens._

Satisfied, I turn on my side and wait for sleep to come.

 **Ahhhh! I did it! I wrote another chapter! I have not given up on this story, people!**

 **But… I'm gonna need some encouragement if I'm going to write another chapter. If you want to see what happens with Ash's Choosing Ceremony, the twins, Kayla, and our favorite grown-up couple, please tell me and I will try my best to not let this story be forgotten again.**

 **(Also, Cloakseeker, if you read this, I know you wrote about twins in your story, and I promise you that mine are my own and I will not copy you).**

 **So, like I said, please review, PM me, follow and/or favorite me or my stories, and we'll see what happens with A Faction of Family!**


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